The subject invention relates to a system for shelving and/or storing. More particularly, the invention relates to a relatively lightweight and simplified modular system that includes components by which the system may be configured and reconfigured easily and quickly for the shelving or the storage of merchandise for the retail industry and other applications as needed and without the need for tools and conventional removable fastening means.
A variety of apparatus and systems are known for the shelving and/or storage of an item or items such as for retail sale to the public. Many of such apparatus and systems include components such that the system can be arranged in only a single or a limited number of configurations. Characteristically such systems use one or more vertical standards or panels that are maintained in a vertical position by fixing the standard to a wall or to the floor through conventional fastening meansxe2x80x94such as bolts, nuts, screws, snap buttons, or other types of mechanical fasteners. Some such conventional systems include a base unit to maintain the vertical standards or panels in a vertical position. Typically, the vertical standards or panels are fixed to the base unit such as by welding or secured to the base unit by the receipt of a portion or portions of the vertical standards or panels into a one of a limited number of positions along the base unit and the fastening of the portions into the positions in the base by conventional removable fasteners. Bolts and nuts, screws, and snap buttons are just some of the many known removable mechanical fasteners typically used to secure the vertical standards or panels to a base unit or hold the components in position. Tools such as screwdriversxe2x80x94powered or otherwisexe2x80x94and wrenches are commonly used to engage, tighten, or otherwise operate the conventional fastening means until tightened or otherwise held in place. Vertical units may be fixed to a base in known systems also by nonremovable means such as by the welding or other permanent means of attachment. The vertical standards of such conventional systems characteristically supports one or only a limited number of types of display or shelving hardware such as shelves and/or bracket/shelf combinations in a limited number of positions relative to the vertical units.
A number of disadvantages are associated with the conventional shelving/storage systems. Overall, the components of each of these systems are sized, shaped, and structured such that the system can be arranged in only a very limited number of configurations. This is particularly true of conventional systems that utilize vertical standards that must be secured to a wall for support and those that are secured to a base that provides only a limited number of securing points. Conventional shelving/storage systems that require the use fasteners to fix the components of the system relative to each other are also disadvantageous in that such systems are relatively more costly to produce. This is, in part, due to the increased amount of material and processing cost to make the fastening pieces but also due to the increased amount of labor needed to ensure that the system has the proper number and variety of fasteners before the system is packaged and sold to consumers. Shelving/storage systems having components that must be secured to each other with the use of tools are overall more costly also because the manufacturer must provide such tools with the system or the consumer must purchase the tools in order to assemble the system. When the cost of the labor needed to construct and reconfigure such multiple fastener systems is considered, the overall cost to employ such conventional systems increases. The actual labor cost depends upon the complexity of the system, the number of fasteners that are used to secure the components together, and whether skilled or unskilled individuals attempt to configure or reconfigure the system. Conventional systems that use multiple fasteners to secure the system together are additionally disadvantageous in that a suitably reliable storage place must be found to accommodate all of the fasteners and tools when the system is disassembled. The loss of any of fastener or tool that is unique to the system typically prevents the system from being reconstructed as before.
A demand therefore exists for a shelving/storage system that includes components by which the system may be configured and reconfigured easily and quickly by even a generally unskilled individually without the need for conventional fastening means or tools. The present invention satisfies this demand.
The present invention is directed to a modular shelving/storage system including components by which the system may be configured easily and quickly as needed without the use of conventional separable mechanical fasteners and generally without the need for any tools.
Specifically, the new system includes a generally horizontal base and at least one vertically-aligned panel that can be easily and quickly releasably secured in one or other positions relative to the base. Preferred embodiments of the system include those having a base structured such that the vertical panel or panels can be releasably secured to the base without the need for conventional separable mechanical fasteners and tools and so that even an unskilled individual can quickly and easily arrange and rearrange the vertical panels relative to the base in a wide variety of possible useful configurations.
One preferred embodiment of the system includes a base having at least one set of apertures that open through the upper surface of the base generally adjacent to the upper base edge, each aperture of which is sized and shaped to receive and releasably secure an extension of a lower end of a post of an outer panel. Other embodiments of the base include additional sets of post apertures such that one or more additional outer panels may be releasably secured to upper surface of the base. The base may include also at least two sets of opposing bracket slotsxe2x80x94aligned generally adjacent to but spaced from opposing upper edges of the base, each slot of which is sized and shaped to accommodate and secure without the use of known fasteners or tools a portion or the entire lower bracket of one of the other vertical panels of the system, an inner panel.
In a preferred embodiment, the system includes a base includes having one set of post apertures that open through the upper surface of the base generally adjacent to the upper base edge and an outer vertical panel having lower end post extensions, each extension of which is sized and shaped to be quickly and easily inserted into each post aperture so that the entire outer vertical panel is releasably secured to the upper surface of the base and the broad face of the panel is generally near or parallel to the upper edge of the base.
A related preferred embodiment includes a base having at least one set of post aperturesxe2x80x94that open generally adjacent to one upper base edge and sized and shaped to receive the lower end post extensions from an outer vertical panelxe2x80x94, at least two sets of opposing base bracket slotsxe2x80x94one set of which is positioned inward from the position of the post apertures and the other set of which is positioned inward from the opposing base edge position of the other of the post aperturesxe2x80x94, an outer vertical panel that can be releasably secured to the base near the upper base edge through the receipt of lower end post extensions of the outer panel in the post apertures, and an inner vertical panelxe2x80x94sized and shaped and having a bracket extending from each opposing lower edge surface of the inner panel such that each panel can be releasably secured to and can form a vertical surface above the upper surface of the base when the brackets of the vertical panel are inserted into the base bracket slots. The inner panel may thereby be releasably secured to the base in a position relative to the outer panel such as generally perpendicular to the broad face of the outer vertical panel by receipt of the inner vertical panel brackets in the bracket slots to form, for example, a xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d or a xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d-like configuration. Sets of base bracket slots may open in alignment through the base face adjacent to at least two opposing upper base edges allows one or more inner panels to be secured generally at any position perpendicular or parallel to an outer panel. To further releasably secure an inner panel to an outer panel, the outer vertical panel of this embodiment may include a set of panel bracket slots opening through the upper edge of the outer panel that are sized and shaped to receive an upper bracket that extends from the upper edge of the inner vertical panel.
An additional embodiment of the present invention includes an inner panel that largely is not of the same vertical height as the outer panel or other inner panels and including a bracket arm from the end of which extends a bracket sized and shaped to be releasably secured in the panel bracket slots opening through the upper edge of the outer panel. The above embodiments may include additional components such as one or more additional inner panels that largely are not of the same horizontal length as the other inner panels and may include lower brackets that may be releasably secured to bracket slots within the base and an upper bracket that may be releasably secured to another vertical panel such as an outer panel by receipt of a portion of the upper bracket within panel bracket slots opening within the upper edge of the vertical panels. As a group, the vertical panelsxe2x80x94that is, the outer panels and the inner panelsxe2x80x94may be configured advantageously, for example, also such that an inner space is thereby defined in which a merchandise or other animate or inanimate objects may be housed, stored, or displayed. The system may include vertical panels having a shelving/storage construction that can accommodate display or shelving hardware such as shelves and/or bracket/shelf combinations or other horizontal support spaces easily and in a wide variety of positions thereby increasing the versatility of the system. Other components include one or more horizontal units that are easily attachable to the vertical panels to form shelves or other horizontal support spaces. The base may include wheelsxe2x80x94such as swivel castor wheels placed generally at the four cornersxe2x80x94to facilitate the movement of the base.
Overall, the components of the display system preferably have a construction so that the components and thereby the shelving/storage system may be relatively light in weight and easier to move as a result.
An object of the present invention is to provide a shelving/storage system that includes components that are sized and shaped and have a construction such that a wide variety of shelving and/or storage configurations may be easily and quickly arranged, thereby increasing the system""s versatility.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a shelving/storage system which includes a base having a construction such that one or more vertical panels may be quickly attached and detached and positioned at any of a number of positions relative to the base.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a shelving/storage system that includes a base and one or more vertical panels having a construction such that the vertical panel or panels may be releasably secured to the base without the need for known fasteners or tools and quickly even by the untrained or unskilled.
An added object of the present invention is to provide a shelving/storage system that includes vertical panels having different vertical heights and/or horizontal lengths and of a construction that allow the panels to be positioned in a number configurations such that a wide variety of shelving support spaces or storage spaces may be thereby defined.
These, together with other objects, features, and advantages will subsequently become apparent and reside in the details of the construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like part throughout.